By Rachel Monahan
The Daily News
December 6, 2009
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/12/06/2009-12-06_rudys_priest_pal_cleared_in_molest.html
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| Msgr. Alan Placa, a close friend of Rudy Giuliani, is cleared of allegations that he molested a teenager in 1975. |
A Long Island priest with close ties to Rudy Giuliani has been cleared of allegations he molested a teenager in 1975, church officials said Saturday.
Msgr. Alan Placa was the Diocese of Rockville Centre's pointman on sexual abuse until 2002, when he was hit with sex accusations.
Stripped of his priestly duties while church authorities investigated, he was found not guilty after a canonical trial.
Throughout the probe, Giuliani stood by his life-long friend, even putting him on the payroll of his firm.
Placa was best man at Giuliani's first wedding and the priest at his second, and he officiated at the ex-mayor's mother's funeral.
A spokeswoman for Giuliani said he had no comment. "He's not going to weigh in," she said.
Church officials said they would work to restore the "good name" of Placa, who has retired.
Placa's accuser, Ronald Tollner, said he's "standing by all of my testimony. I'm not retracting anything. He molested kids."
Contact: rmonahan@nydailynews.com
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